New Drug Approval for Bacterial Conjunctivitis


Drug ConjunctivitisA new type of drug to treat conjunctivitis has been approved by the body responsible for licensing drugs in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for the new drug, Besivance to treat the bacterial form of the contagious condition.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the outer surface of the eye. The condition causes redness of the conjunctiva both in the white of the eye and on the inside of the eyelids. In most cases both eyes are affected. There are two forms of the condition, bacterial or viral conjunctivitis.

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a common condition, and is especially prevalent in childhood, though it can affect anyone at any age. The symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis may include red eyes, swelling, itching, and sticky, watery eye-lids which may be difficult to open. There may also be a white or yellow discharge from one or both of the eyes. Most people recuperate from the condition within seven to 14 days.

Patients who took part in the clinical trial to test the new drug had a quicker recovery than those who were treated with a simple preservative solution. The trial included babies from the age of just one year old to adults and it was shown to be effective in all age groups.

Side effects were reported in less than three per cent of people in the trial. From those who complained about side effects, the most common of these were blurred vision, redness, irritation, pain, itchiness and headaches.

The new type of medicine will be sold in the form of an eye drop for topical use. It is not intended to be injected into the eye.

A spokesman from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Drug Evaluation and Research Centre said it was important to have a variety of treatments which could be used by health care staff to treat conjunctivitis.  Effective drugs can help stop the spread of infection from person to person and shorten the length of time that the illness runs its course.

Conjunctivitis can also be caused by an allergy which may be caused by anything from household chemicals to dust or the pollen which causes hay fever.

If it is caused by bacterial infection, there may be a sticky discharge which can cause a crust on the eyelashes and in some cases it may even glue the eyelids together, which is often the case after waking up with the condition.

If the conjunctivitis is caused by an allergy, then the symptoms are more likely to include swollen, itchy and watery eyes.

In both types of conjunctivitis, the eyes are affected by a discharge from the mucous membranes. Some people find that bright light can make the condition worse.

Bacterial conjunctivitis may take some time to clear up and can even last a couple of weeks.

Besivance contains the active ingredient Besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6 percent. It is being manufactured by the American drug company Bausch & Lomb and was approved by the FDA on May 28.

28th June 2009

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